SANS 2016 "Difference Makers" Awards

There is no shortage of publicity around failures in security - constant headlines detailing breaches and vulnerabilities at companies and government agencies. However, what you never hear about are the many organizations who aren't in the news because they have found ways to meet business and mission needs while protecting customer and business data from attackers. There are thousands of security practitioners out there who are quietly succeeding and making breakthroughs in advancing security.

On Thursday December 15th at the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative conference in Washington DC, SANS will hold the 4th annual celebration of the most dedicated and innovative "People Who Made a Difference in Security in 2016."

We are soliciting nominations from the SANS community for names of individual, teams and groups who implemented security processes or technology in 2016 that resulted in meaningful and measurable advances in security. The criteria for nomination are:

Must have led the implementation and deployment of security processes or controls in 2016 that either (a) made measurable increases in cybersecurity or (b) enabled new business initiatives (such as use of BYOD, cloud, agile development, Digital Government, etc) while maintaining required security levels.

The deployed solutions must show advances or innovation over common levels of practice.

Must be willing, and have management approval, to be publicly acknowledged. Company or agency names can be kept anonymous if necessary.

Awards will be made in several categories, including but not limited to: